Rules
by Tadpole24
Summary: "It's weird to think that the FBI has rules in place against agent fraternisation, when in reality we're the only ones who can possibly understand each other." Keenler ficlet


_**This is my first foray into Keenler fic. Just putting the feelers out there, seeing how others are with this ship. Let me know how you go with this one :)**_

…

Rules

…

"This was a terrible idea," she says, her smile completely contradicting the words coming out of her mouth and the tequila shot sliding down her throat.

Ressler orders two more shots and laughs, "We busted _two_ blacklisters today, Keen. Loosen up."

She shakes her head at him, downing the next shot, not even bothering to chase it with the lemon anymore. "What about you, Agent Straight-Edge?"

"Only at work, Liz. I lost that guy at the halfway mark." He gestures across the bar to the bottle of Patron that had definitely been full when they'd walked into this establishment.

Her hand shoots out, grabbing his arm in shock, more than a little tipsy, "We _haven't_ had that much."

He laughs again, such an unfamiliar sound in every day circumstances, "Oh, we have."

She lowers her head, "Oh god."

The bartender slides another round towards them, "It's okay you know. Tom will forgive you for a night out."

In all honesty, she hadn't even been thinking about Tom, her thoughts more focused on how she was going to avoid a nasty hangover tomorrow. But for the sake of appearances and for the sake of keeping her husband's secret identity to herself right now, she needs to play the part of the guilty wife.

Her hand slides down his arm, from where she had initially grasped it, to his wrist, her fingers toying at Ressler's sleeve. "Right," she says with as little conviction as possible.

Another shot arrives in front of them, but neither of them take advantage of them, remaining locked in their silent battle, both knowing the other is keeping secrets, but not able to reveal them. The alcohol buzzes in the air between them, words of honesty working their way to the surface of their minds.

"It's weird to think that the FBI has rules in place against agent fraternisation when in reality we're the only ones who can possibly understand each other."

She realises that had she said those words in the light of day she'd never forgive herself for sounding so needy. But under the dim bar lights, with another shot of tequila a possibility, she finds that her filter has completely gone missing.

Ressler smiles a sad smile, a knowing smile, the smile of a man caught up in the system for too long. He's still not over what had happened to Audrey and he knows that deep down, Liz can't be over what happened to Tom in their house the first day they'd worked together.

And until the day when they can talk about these things without the guise of drunkenness to mask what's really going on, none of it should be breached.

Pulling his arm away from under Keen's fingers, Don downs his final shot, shifting the other glass towards his colleague, "Come on, we should get you home."

It's a sombre kind of mood that follows them out of the bar, their laughter from just minutes ago a long lost memory in the haze of their own quiet revelations.

When the first cab pulls up and Liz looks up at him with questions in her heavy lidded gaze, he makes sure that she takes the ride offered alone, "Can't be breaking those rules, Keen."

Her eyes are sad and all too knowing for someone who's only been on the job a few months. She knows that her husband is a liar, very possibly a criminal and definitely only with her for her connection to Raymond Reddington (whatever that may be), "Maybe some rules are made to be broken."

She leaves the sentence hanging in the air as she takes her leave, Ressler closing the taxi door behind her.

A small part of her still wonders if everything between her and Tom has just been a big misunderstanding, if she'll get home and regret her time spent with her colleague. Another part of her simply asks what another secret means in their house of lies.

At any rate, she's not allowed to discuss work at home – another one of those pesky rules – and Agent Ressler is definitely only work related.

At least, that's what she tries to tell herself.


End file.
